The number of pensioners using Facebook and the like has almost doubled since 2014 and over three-quarters of 65 to 75-year-olds now use social media, according to new research by national statistics agency CBS.

The number of over-75s on social media has also soared from 13% in 2014 to 40% now, the CBS said.

Smartphones have also taken over from laptops as the most used method of going online. In 2014, 74% of the over-12s in the Netherlands had a smartphone but that has now risen to 92%.

Desktop computers are also on their way out. In 2014, six in 10 Dutch people had a desktop but that has since shrunk to 54%.